Chris Sutton and Paul Merson share Aston Villa vs Fulham prediction as ‘biggest worry’ claim made
Aston Villa are aiming to get their first Premier League win of the season
Aston Villa are looking to make it two wins in a week when they take on Fulham in a crucial match in the context of this year’s Premier League campaign.
Villa secured their first positive result of the campaign by beating Coppa Italia winners Bologna in their Europa League opener on Thursday but are still winless in six domestic matches this year after crashing out of the League Cup against Brentford and failing to win any of their opening five league matches.
The Lions were given arguably their simplest opportunity to get three points last time out against Sunderland when the newly-promoted side were reduced to 10 men in the first half at the Stadium of Light, but failed to capitalise, registering just two shots on target in a hugely frustrating afternoon for Unai Emery’s men, who struggled to build any momentum in the North East.
The West Midlands outfit face Fulham next, hoping that their positive Europa League result can spur them on to victory. But how do the pundits see this one unfolding?
Chris Sutton’s expects more frustration for Aston Villa
Former Aston Villa forward Chris Sutton expects the club’s winless start to continue at the weekend and expressed concerns around how the offensive players in the team are really struggling to connect at this moment. Sutton predicted a 1-1 draw and claims he’s seen nothing yet to suggest Villa have what it takes to turn things around.
He told BBC Sport: “I know Aston Villa beat Bologna in the Europa League on Thursday but they were poor against Sunderland on Sunday.The biggest worry for me was that they just didn't seem to connect, even though they were playing against 10 men. It looked like their forwards had never played together before.
“Fulham come into this after winning two league games in a row, against Leeds and Brentford, and they will definitely see this as winnable too.Most people have probably been looking at Villa and thinking they have made a poor start and will turn things round, but I've not seen anything to suggest that will happen.
“They will have to create far more than they have been doing if they are going to get their first win of the season. I have given them a goal and a point here, but I am not entirely sure why.”
Paul Merson expects the wait for a win to continue
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson, who enjoyed a four-season stint at Villa Park between 1998 and 2002, also feels his former club will leave with just a point this weekend.He also expressed dissatisfaction at the way Villa performed against Sunderland last time out and feels Fulham have been underappreciated for their strong start.
Merson also predicted 1-1 and told Sportskeeda: “This is a huge game for Aston Villa, the pressure is on them to get that first win. They were 1-0 up against 10-man Sunderland and I thought that would kick-start their season. But Villa never looked like scoring after that and they let Sunderland back in it.
“It's strange with Fulham because they don't get enough credit for what they've done this season. The only game they've lost this season is against Chelsea and let's be honest, they did not deserve to lose that match, it was the referee who cost them!
“Fulham are now on a three-game winning streak and will look to hurt the hosts here. If Villa fail to win this game, they are in trouble. I say that because they have had a relatively easier start to the season. After facing Newcastle, they have had games against Brentford, Crystal Palace, Everton and Sunderland. Three of those teams finished in the bottom half of the table last season, while Sunderland are newly-promoted. Yet, Villa have failed to win a game.This is a dangerous game for Villa and I expect their wait for three points to go on.”
Aston Villa have won seven of their last eight Premier League meetings with Fulham, including their last five in a row. Crucially, Marco Silva also has a dismal record against Villa in recent seasons - losing 86% of his matches which is the lowest of any opposing manager against Villa to play five or matches against them in the Premier League era.